Entropy of the 7th Heavenly Star
by terraneanAegis
Summary: Twisting fate was a dangerous thing to do, but it was always the nature of men to pursue their desires. Was this the right choice? Or will it turn into a bigger despair than what they could possibly imagine? Time-Travel!AU No pairings planned.
1. Arc 1: Chapter 1: The End

**AN: Hello! This is my first fanfiction and I'm rather excited for this! It's is a little confusing at first, so I'm going to explain a few things beforehand. Each chapter is divided into three sections: Hope, Despair, and Memoirs. Hope and Despair is the main story, set by two different points of view. Memoirs is a series of segments that provide some depth into the events that happened before the events of the story, in other words, how the world got destroyed. And just so you know, the identity of the speakers in Hope is kept a mystery on purpose. Despair's speakers are pretty obvious and if you don't know, it would be revealed next chapter anyways.**

Hope: x798 ?

Even now I can hear them. The voices of those I have sinned against as well as those who are damned by my hand. Seven years couldn't have done this under normal circumstances. It was my own fault, or rather, my own existence, that caused this catastrophe. But could I have done to help the situation? Nothing truly alive exists now. The second apocalypse that shouldn't have happened came to be and the one and only black mage stood in front of me.

He spoke to me. I wanted to blame him, ridicule him, and maybe even murder him, but I can't. Not only am I too weak for task like that, not that like to admit it, but he is currently my only hope. It's strange, really, because I don't even hate him. In fact, you could even say I love him. Completely illogical and twisted indeed, I don't think I can even understand myself either. I reach out for his hand.

His hand is surprisingly gentle. You wouldn't even suspect that he was the one who nearly exterminated humanity 400 years ago. He whispers to my ear even though there is no one to hear. It is almost as if what he tells me is a secret to the gods themselves. What is it that he told me? I... can't really say. All I know is that I have never...happier than… moment…. The thing is...wait...no...I...

Hmm…? Oh, hey. You awake now? I guess that is expected for you to be so tired. For being in that state for so long, I can't blame anyone but myself. Hey, do you remember me? Do you have amnesia? Hmm…that's a shame. There is too much to explain right now and we are running out of time. Follow me; I'll try to explain as much as I can.

Can you speak? No? Or is because I can't hear you? You'll have to speak up a bit more, okay? Huh? Oh, that is right. That is the mark of the independent guild, Crime Sorcerie. I am not a member but a good friend of mine is a member of that group. That person is actually you, which is why that mark is also on your body. Do you know what a guild is? It is where people unite as a group to do tasks for a reward, although it is much more than that depending how you look at it. I could tell you right now, but I think that it'll be better if you see it yourself. Maybe you'll remember me that way.

I hope you aren't too uncomfortable with our surroundings, but this is what it looks like in most parts of the world anyways, so you'll have no choice but to get used with it. I'm sorry. What's that? Black mage? How much do you know? Who…. Never mind, it is more important that you'll get your memories back. There is no hope left in this world, so we'll we're going somewhere else for the time being.

Oh yeah, I should tell you my name first. My name is...

Despair: x798 Outskirts of Magnolia

A young man stands at the former flourishing plains of his beloved town. Worn and tired, his right hand presses against his forehead and pushes back the sweat towards his hairline. Nearby his current position are the remnants of his house, blackened and incinerated. Just now, he was trying to communicate with a survivor that is residing some place far away via mini communication lacrima. Somehow, the device was destroyed on the other side, so there is no way to contact them again. The man felt another wave of despair. For all this time, he managed to finally track one person to listen to him by pressing buttons on this "fancy piece of technology". He is far from an expert at this stuff, but after its mass production, he is quite aware the majority of the people living in Fiore have this and understanding its functions is like an unspoken requirement for young people. He won't need it now though. The last shred magic from the lacrima has already been spent.

The man is not quite sure what to do. Unlike some people he knew, he doesn't know how to calculate the direction the ethernano feedback waves were once coming from. It is not like it has an odor in this form anyways. He goes back to his remaining food supply located on the backside of the ruins.

The man reminisces of the past, where both chaos and order existed. The year, X777, he realized, was a more significant importance than he thought before for it expands further than the edges of the universe. Through days and nights, the truth of what happened 400 years ago seemed to get further and further away. He reaches for it until his arms were strained and broken. Once he did, he remembered that he had already destroyed it himself

He looks into the laying beast. Here lies the corpse of the former Dragon King. Unfortunately, the man was unable to kill him himself, despite the promise he made a long time ago. The pitiful state was a result of this currently broken reality. After what he did, God couldn't let him live any longer. As ridiculous as it sounds, it is in fact, the truth. He supposes that even the mighty Acnologia couldn't survive that incident. It is not like he had any say in the matter or would've fared any better. He supposes that the dragon's luck had already eroded away with time along with the human generations. It not like he didn't deserve it, but it is also true that his death led to more consequences than benefits.

Another person approaches. Dressed in black, he stumbles a bit on his way to the other. His black hair is matted hair is in worse shape than ever and dark shadows are resting on the underside of his vision. The black mage can feel his deprived throat and the depravity coming up into his mind, but even now, he felt the nerve to even try to stop it. He rests right next to the other, who also happens to be his brother. His body was cold right next to the other's shoulder, which was both comforting and unsettling for the two. At least they know that someone is there. The young boy and the ancient darkness stood in place right next to each other.

How they wished for this world to come to be! The once brash young man asked Death the reason they live now. The survivors will die. The dead will fade away. The failures enveloped the world until there is nothing but a void and two choices. One is to stay. Another is to go. After the fourteen days of solitude and unfulfilled promises, the answer was obvious.

An encroaching crack in space is spreading into the nearby forest. Seeing these has become quite common nowadays, but their presence is nearly impossible to adapt to. Stretching from Mt. Hakobe to the town of Clover, this crack is the largest the two men have seen so far. Although these cracks do not do anything directly towards humans, they are the most obvious proof that reality is breaking. There were incidents where people have fallen in comas after the Apocalypse happened even though they were nowhere near the incident. They are not going to come back. Within the young man, who is practically Entropy itself, there is a strange sense of nervousness lingering in his heart, even though he'll certainly die if he stays. The other, Death, has lost any reason to even care anymore for he has already lost everything centuries ago.

The inside of the crack is something that is rather difficult to describe because it's different for every person. Some say that there is a mystical land with a strong ethernano concentration along with lively, animated creatures running across the forest. Others say that there is a city full of wondrous machines beyond the imagination of our kind. For the two men, there is nothing. It was not a dark void concealing the other side, but a blank slate waiting for change. Some have already crossed it and there is no guarantee for their safety, but what else can they do? There are not enough resources or the two to use an alternative method anyways. While holding hands, the white light envelops them as they run towards the new world. They will soon realize that there was nothing truly waiting for them at all except the same boundless despair.

Memoirs

Natsu...it was never your fault. Or at least, that is what I want to say. In reality, everything that led up to that point was caused by every single person that was involved in one way or another. I remember wishing for the end of humanity, so expected to feel some sort of joy from that, but I don't feel anything, not even sadness or guilt.

Now that I think about it, I don't recall ever having a true motive as to why I wanted that in the first place. Yes, I was inflicted by the Curse of Contradiction, but is that really an excuse? After all, my thoughts are my own at the end. What does it mean to genuinely hate life? Is it even possible to force yourself to even do that? Even if there are evil humans out there, there are still good people I wish to help, like...

I can imagine you face now. Angry, sad, happy; I remember them all. The fact you look so alive at that moment made me feel a tinge of jealousy. I want to be like you, surrounded with friends and family. People who love me and I love in return...they aren't allowed to be alive. I don't want to hate you, but I do. That's why I wanted you to be destroyed. I want to throw away the reason why I ended up with this fate- this life.

But there is always that part of me that nags me- the one that refuses to kill you. That person, your real brother, unconditionally loves you. He knows that your death won't solve anything, just like any other death. Or at least, that is what I believe in. I prefer to believe in something than know something nowadays. At least I can experience a little uncertainty for once. I feel more human when I do.

I must finish up this entry now. The preparations are almost complete and my presence is needed. I wait for the day you read these memoirs.

-Zeref Dragneel


	2. Arc 1: Chapter 2: Another Place

Hope: x798 A Strange Place

The woman who woke me had a certain strangeness to her. It was the kind where you feel that you have met them before, but you can't place your finger on it. That was the first thing about her. Her bright yet dull face reminded me of something. Something that I lost along with my memory. It was a painful feeling despite being uplifting at the same time. If I had to describe it, it was like the moment when your sore heart is being coaxed, except it doesn't seem to get any better.

The next thing I noticed about her is her voice. A light soprano is what I think it was. Her voice cracked here and there and it seemed like she was struggling to speak even though she was trying to hide it. She was trying too hard, judging how loud her voice is. It was a sad thing to see. I couldn't help but to reach out to her face, but for some reason, my body refused to move. I tried moving my mouth to get out some words, but even then, it ended up being no more than empty coughs. She asked some questions, but my answers seemed effortless. I was able to stand up after a few minutes, following the woman under her request.

Before long, I remembered things from the dream I had. It was a demon that spoke to me. Black horns, a black tail, and some black clothes were what I saw on him. He didn't feel evil per say, but there is this feeling of danger that came from him. It was like he was an unstable object that wouldn't just simply explode with a loud noise. It was like my existence was on the line if he goes out of control. It was strange getting that feeling from him. Even though he was a demon, he had a face of a typical young adult with tears streaming down his face. A part of me wanted to comfort him, but my body instinctively chose otherwise.

I tried to recall the dream that I had. He talked about some sort of catastrophe and a person known as a 'black mage'. However, it was still somewhat blurry to me. I stopped for a moment and observed the reality that was before me. My ears seemed to be clogged with something so I couldn't hear her well. In fact, my face felt dirty with some sort of wet substance. I wiped it off, revealing that it was a mixture of blood and soil. It's not surprising, given the number of corpses surrounding us. The overpowering smell is thick and nauseating, but I tried to bear it.

As we walked, the woman talked a bit more. She told me about guilds and that I was part of one, which happened to be called Crime Sorcerie. I tried to remember, but I came out with nothing. It did give a strong sense of deja vu though, so she probably wasn't lying. It seems like she knew me well, but I feel like I haven't met her before. It was strange considering that she claimed to be a close friend of mine.

I tried talking again. Even though I don't remember about the past, I can't help but to think that the demon in my dreams is important. Perhaps it is connected to my past memories. Once again, it didn't come out properly, but at least a few words came out. The woman was confused, but she encouraged that I should find out my memories first. I complied. She then spoke.

"Oh yeah, I should tell you my name first. My name is Kinana." That name was definitely familiar, but I don't seem to recognize the woman in front of me. Perhaps someone mentioned her name before to me once, but then we couldn't be considered friends…. I don't know how much I could trust her, but I'll go along with it. I wanted to ask what my name was, but my voice defies me. For some reason, she doesn't seem to notice. I tried to tell her with hand gestures, but she didn't get it. Is she that clueless, or is she just pretending? I gave up after awhile.

We were walking in an unknown direction. There were a lot of things to see. Trees, clouds, branches, dirt, blood, corpses, and the such were spread out in the landscape. There are even broken buildings as we walked further and further into the town. However, the thing that stuck out to me was the cracks in the sky. I knew for sure that it wasn't a natural thing. As I was gazing at the sky, she started speaking again.

"Reality is breaking. Someone tampered with the laws of the universe and caused a rift that can't be healed. The man who caused it is probably dead as a result." She grimaced. "I don't know know much beyond that, but whoever it is, he caused the deaths of everyone you see." The anger in her voice was obvious and from what I could tell from her face, being angry doesn't suit her. It was a little chubby and baby-ish, like she just became a young adult recently. And yet, there was this out of place hardness to her. I didn't really like it.

She soon stopped in front of this one building, which I presume is our destination. Compared to the other buildings, it was tall and well-kept. In fact, it wasn't damaged at all, just a little dull. There is a gate with the big words "FAIRY TAIL" at the entrance. Facing towards me, she puts on a serious, steeled face.

"This building here contains the key to save the world. This is the guild that you should hate."

* * *

Despair: x784 Magnolia

It was a little surreal to see this scene again.

Bustling townsfolk in their well made clothes, laughing and talking as they walk; it was almost too happy for the brothers' tastes. Although they were happy that they travel through time in one piece, they can't really say that the Magnolia of the past gave them back the life they lost. It was shock to see so many living things in one place, even though they were only living in a post-apocalyptic future for fourteen days. Then again, staying there any longer wouldn't change anything.

It was fortunate that they ended up in an alley rather than in the middle of the street. It would be quite a shock to see two rugged men to appear out of nowhere, especially since they are so close to Fairy Tail. As much as the younger brother, Natsu Dragneel, wants to see his comrades again, he can't do that, not yet at least. There are a few things that needed to be done before his meeting if he wanted to save them, and he can't be with Fairy Tail before then. Besides, it would be too hard for him to say that he was the reason why most of the guild died. Not right now, anyways.

On the other hand, the older brother, Zeref Dragneel, still has this paranoia that comes up every time that he is in the vicinity of so many people. Even when he stopped caring about the value of life, there would be a small part of him where he wanted to run away from them, sobbing into woods. Well, he never acted on it at Alvarez, but it was necessary if his pawns were to take him seriously. For now, he'll help his brother whatever he wants to do, whether it would saving the world or not.

Natsu already knew what happened back then. The truth was smoked out, revealing the events that conspired 400 years ago. It was something to behold indeed. The sins that he committed as the most powerful of demons, END, wasn't something that anyone could take lightly. Not even Acnologia himself. It wasn't that he was stronger or more powerful than him, but it was the cruel, twisted actions that he did. That enough was disturbing.

For now, Natsu contemplates what he is going to do. He can't approach Fairy Tail, but he can observe. At least, he wanted to know what time period is this. Zeref follows. The curse was still there, but unlike before, he stopped thinking about it. If contradictions is what fueled his insanity, then it is better to accept that there aren't any contradictions at all, no matter how many illogical fallacies there are. He values life and yet he doesn't. The lie is the truth and freedom is slavery. All of that is what it is. Reality means nothing.

Natsu knows about Zeref's current state of mind as well, but didn't bother to understand. What matters to him is that he isn't killing anyone at the moment. There is no need to kill if there isn't anything there in the first place. It is not like Natsu could do anything about it. At least this way, Zeref isn't suffering, he thought. Even if he is his brother, Natsu could never come to love him.

It's a little hard to understand why Zeref even bothered to help Natsu on his quest. It wasn't out of love, or Natsu would have been dead. Was it pure instinct, or was this action meaningless itself? There is no reason to think about it. They were already at the guild, cloaked in an invisible veil.

The guild was rambunctious as Natsu had remembered. Brawls, drinks, and noise fills up the building as if they were troublesome children, which they are in a sense, wrecking their home. The smell of sweat, blood, and beer made Natsu exhaled in nostalgia. He wanted to remember the names of each one of them, to say their names as they his as well. To jump in their arms and give them the same punch as he had always done was a wish that can't be fulfilled no longer. Natsu tightens his fist as he struggles to keeps his tears to himself.

Across the room, he saw his past self, competing with Gray as usual. He wore a brave face, one that screams how loud he is. It was obvious how soft and childlike he is. To many, that is a precious thing that you didn't find often. In a way, Fairy Tail never truly appreciated it. It is not just Natsu, but practically everyone in the guild. Even the ones who suffered as a child still has that quality to them. Yes, it was a quality from people who still had hope.

Natsu was crying. If only he could go back there, with that same face, with that same hope. Perhaps he shouldn't have come back at all. How could seeing this save their lives? He already knew that they were important. And yet, something changed. Something about seeing this has altered something that neither of the brothers know. It may be irrelevant or maybe it may determine their life permanently. Neither would want to know.

Zeref made the same observations. To him, he thinks that Natsu hasn't completely lost his past self. After all, if he did, they wouldn't be here. Would that mean that Zeref had hope as well? No, he can't think like that. He can't think that there is anything left. Everything in his world was gone the moment he lost his humanity. It was foolish of him to think otherwise, whether it was the hope to break the curse or the hope to destroy the world. As long as the world that he sees is empty, there is nothing to worry about.

Natsu signaled Zeref to leave. He made some conclusions regarding to the current time period. Gajeel, Juvia, Wendy, and Charle were present, meaning that this is after the events of the Oracion Seis. It is also before the events of Tenrou Island since the 7 year gap has evidently not taken place just yet. Now, was this before or after the incident at Edolas? This would be important to some degree because if Magnolia has yet to be sucked in by the Anima, there should be enough time to use it to his advantage.

When they departed from Magnolia, the invisibility spell wore off. Natsu looked directly at Zeref's blank eyes. It was strange. Happy wasn't even human and he felt more human than Zeref. No, Zeref isn't human at all. He doesn't exist here. A thought in Natsu's mind that is pretending to be human was what he is. A ghost from the past that will forever haunt him in his sleep was what he will eternally be, even though he had a physical form. Even if his heart was still beating.

* * *

Memoirs

It won't be long until this body disappears. For my last moments as a physical being, I'll write down this last will. It's probably pointless. It's the end of the world after all. Even so, I feel compelled to write down this in case any one can see this. No one else can, so I'll tell you this much.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

I calculated every way possible to win, and yet this happened to us. The guild that I loved, the guild that I killed. If I hadn't been so foolish, so naive, we could have been saved. Why couldn't I save everyone when they needed me the most? It was my responsibility to protect them. And I still failed despite the numerous chances that I have gotten.

What would happen if he hadn't existed? I wouldn't have fallen, I wouldn't be alive. My entire life had been a mistake that shouldn't have happened. It was all because of Zeref that they are all dead. Should Fairy Tail exist? Do we deserve to exist despite the suffering that had caused us? If it was such a simple answer, I wouldn't have asked.

It was so easy back then. To say that our bonds will pull through, to say that we should have faith. It had been so easy for us to say that. Our bones were broken and our lips were bleeding, and yet we won. We survived. Why was that? Was it pure luck? Were we spoiled by fate? Or was it cruelty from the gods? It doesn't really matter why at this point. It wasn't like there was any winners here. This isn't a game like the Grand Magic Games or a simple quest where you just beat up some people. That isn't what war is.

Mutually assured destruction. That is what I see before me. Alvarez, Ishgar, and Acnologia are all down, broken. I wanted to say that we had hope. It would have been so easy to say that, even when I didn't. This feeling reminded me of the past. The year that I was away from everyone. The year where I died. It was the worst time for me. The moment I approached the light that I was spoiled in, it stabbed me in the back, right through the heart. I can't go back. No one can.

I don't want to think. I don't want to be blamed. Perhaps it would be selfish of me to say that, but I don't to be looked at with disdain by others. Not even in hell. Yes, selfishness is the pinnacle of humanity. Zeref was correct on that part, which I never doubted. The fact that people desire for something is what sets those who are alive from the rest. Hope is what makes us alive. We were punished for being too 'alive' in that sense. We were too human.

If...I can go back. I would have killed him. There is no use sugarcoating that. If I can't erase everything from scratch, I would have just killed him. We will be hurt, but alive at least. It was always like that, wasn't it? If we are alive, then we'll make it. There would at least some hope to savor, even though we will inevitably... fall. What….he did … everything….

I...should...I...kill...he..destroy...died...he…. (The ink was too smudged and wet to read this paragraph.)

(The rest of the page were full of scribbles with rips that show that the person was pressing too hard when making the marks. There were even parts where bloody fingerprints appeared, mixing with the wet ink. A few words could be made out on the back.)

Natsu Dragneel should have died.

Mavis Vermillion


End file.
